The More Destructive Weapon
by RightSide
Summary: Caroline makes a deal with Klaus. If he promises not to kill anyone, she'll try being his friend. But they both know he wants more, and it's only a matter of time before Caroline realizes it's what she wants, too.  Rated M for later chapters.


**Summary: Caroline makes a deal with Klaus. If he promises not to kill anyone, she'll try being his friend. But they both know he wants more, and it's only a matter of time before Caroline realizes it's what she wants, too. Rated M for later chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD, like, at all. I just like having fun with the creator's characters and plot.**

**A/N: I'm taking a bit of a more serious turn with Caroline/Klaus. There is a lot of serious discussion and inner turmoil, which may or may not be AU/OOC. I promise there will be plenty of fuzzy moments, but I want the story to seem realistic. Also, for the sake of plot, just pretend Caroline and Tyler broke up over the phone because of their many problems. I'll probably bring details up as the story progresses. Enough author's note, here's the story. Enjoy!**

"So will the world end, I think, a victim of love rather than hate.

For love's ever been the more destructive weapon."

- From Stephen King's _The Dark Tower_

There was an ache growing within Caroline Forbes. It was not some sort of hole, a gap to be filled with "good times" in the form of laughter with friends from idle gossip or half-glances at the latest hunny to walk into the Grill. This was a far more sinister burning sensation that at times filled her being until she was all but choking on the need. She mused, from time to time, when she found herself itching from the lack of... of _something_... whether or not her lapse into this unfamiliar world of craving the unknown had been escalated by Klaus's emergence in her life. His words, those blasphemous, horrid things that crept their way into her heart in a way that was never reserved for psychopathic, murdering fiends such as him, spun dizzying circles in her mind.

A whole world to explore. A world filled with beauty.

Hers had become a world filled with disappointment. A quiet loneliness had possessed her, making her humble in its own, quietly devastating way. When had she become so small? Once she had been _the _Caroline Forbes. She had been a God damned force of nature. And, while she later came to regret those choices that had placed her on that particular pedestal, she did find herself wishing she still carried the same conviction that she had then. Everything had been certain, and any flaw that dared cross her path was removed by sheer will.

"I killed someone once," she said softly to the void. Well, not really the void. She had discovered a spot on the skirts of Mystic Falls. It was a clearing scattered with enormous boulders, outlined by trees and far enough from civilization that one could see the stars in all their brilliance. On nights like these, when her blood hummed with what she could only describe as an insatiable desire, she found herself taking a plush comforter and lying on the centermost stone.

At some point during the night, she had heard a far off crackle of brush breaking underfoot. Then the hairs on the back of her neck rose in a way that was _just so_, and she knew he was there. Closing her eyes, she allowed a comforting feeling to wash over her. She was not alone.

Yet the silence that followed her statement was deafening. Caroline wondered if she had been mistaken, and the coldness that followed the realization that perhaps the warmth that had filled her not so long ago had been a falsehood sent a stabbing through her core.

She was such an _idiot_. Why would one of the original evils of the world be watching her alternate between staring catatonically at the sky and clamping her eyes shut in fits of self-pity? Why would he _care _enough to follow her to the edge of the city? And since when exactly did the idea of his very nearness fill her with _calm_? She was spiraling.

Lifting herself onto her forearms, about to shake her head at herself in disgust, Caroline found herself staring at the very being she was berating herself for thinking of.

Klaus. He had a look of hesitance about him. It was a moonless night, his features were dark and unreadable, but his very body seemed uncertain about his presence there. A few seconds passed, eyes flicking from Caroline to the ground beneath his feet. Finally the inner turmoil was over, and he set his mouth to an un decipherable expression as he stalked towards her.

Raising his eyebrows, almost composed to the point that he could pull off the charming smirk he was attempting to throw her way, he gestured toward the empty space next to Caroline on the blanket, "May I?"

Caroline blinked. Part of her wanted to sigh in relief. He was there. _He is here_. But the other part of her felt exposed, vulnerable. What had possessed her to say what she said? Out of all the random babbles she had circling her mind, why did she have to pull on that one and spit it out as if the knowledge had been asked for?

Klaus cleared his throat, and Caroline broke from her reverie. Letting out a long breath, she nodded. He smiled at her, smiled in a way that she had not seen previously. It was a grateful smile that reached his eyes and brightened his features. She noticed that when he situated himself, he made sure there was very little room between them, and his movements caused their arms to brush. He placed his shoes right next to hers, and for a fleeting moment she fought the urge to laugh.

The entire picture was far too much. Klaus, in all of his god-like glory, was leaning towards her with an intense spark to his eye. His shiny, freshly buffed dress shoes were propped up next to her champagne colored flats. The navy blue color of the blanket made his long, thin fingers seem an unearthly pale, and when her gaze finally returned to his she found that the burning from earlier was increasing steadily.

"There's no shame in killing," he finally said, lips pursed. Inching even closer so that he was only a hairsbreadth away, his fingertips ghosted along her temple as they moved a stray hair behind her ear. His breath was hot on her neck as he breathed, "It's a part of our nature, Caroline."

It had been a still moment. Caroline had been entranced by the way he spoke her name like a caress, his touch sending fire across her skin. He smelled of the very Earth itself, and it was intoxicating. But the words, she had never been more grateful to have a man misstep in her company. He spoke those words and the heat mounting halted immediately. How dare he? _How dare he?_

She smacked his hand away from where it had gently settled on her shoulder blade. Shoving him away as harshly as possible, she straightened to collect herself. It was a daring move, one which Klaus had not anticipated or else he probably would have stopped her outburst by grabbing her arms roughly and pinning her down. As it was, a momentary expression of hurt passed over him as his forehead scrunched together in dismay.

"We're not the same, Klaus. It's not a part of my nature. It will _never _be a part of my nature. I killed an innocent man. I had just been turned. I had no idea what was going on, and I killed him. Not a day goes by that I don't remember him, that I don't see his face. How terrified he was of me..." her voice, which started as a crescendo was lowering into a soft hush, "You... you say you _fancy _me, but you just... you don't get it."

"Then explain it to me, love," he said, obviously forgiving her violent tantrum and moving closer once more. His fingers brushed hers, and he dared to drag a single digit across the back of her hand slowly, deliberately.

Caroline had to refocus. She had not been planning to do this. Nothing about this scene was anything like what she had envisioned the moment she realized he had followed her. She needed to be honest. But finding the right words to say, being able to relay so much pain without handing even more of herself over to him, was difficult in itself. Biting her lip and raising her eyes to meet his, she vowed to be brave.

"When I was human, I met Damon. He was charming at first, but after we started dating he became mean. Cruel, even. I was his plaything. I had bruises and bites all over my body. He compelled me so many times, made me do so many things, I lost myself. He abused me and threw me away when he was done with me. After I became a vampire, I started remembering. How I deceived my friends, all of the times he manipulated me. How scared I was," she tried to keep her emotions in check as she continued, "I remember the first time I realized Elena was falling for him. I can remember thinking: _what the hell is she doing? _Doesn't she remember what he did to me? Everything that I suffered through?"

She went quiet. Klaus's face was contorted into something that resembled disgust laced with rage. At first she thought he was finally reacting to her hitting him earlier, but then it dawned on her that she had just told the murderous hybrid original that fancied her all about how Damon abused her.

"I'll kill him," he snarled, aggression rolling off of him in waves. Caroline huffed. He was such a child! Grabbing his arm to make him face her directly, she cradled his head in her hands. It seemed to be an effective way to calm him down, and it gained his attention enough to make him stop making the vicious face.

"That wasn't the point. The point was that Elena was so easy to dismiss everything Damon had done to make my life a living hell, and it hurt me. I won't do that to her," she released him from her hold and continued, " I won't act like you didn't torture all of us. Like you didn't kill Jenna. Like you're not still planning on using Elena as some kind of... of human blood bag!"

Klaus stood at this. He ran his hand through his hair and then began waving his arms about wildly as he spoke, a broad, insidious smile on his face, "So that's just it, then? You spew out this nonsense about how I only sire and compel people to do my bidding because I have this _insane _notion that I'll never be loved. Well then what's this? Am I to spend all of eternity in piety, mulling over my sins? Will that make me worthy of you?"

Caroline jumped up as well, finger jutting out and poking Klaus in the chest as she retorted, "Maybe if you would stop acting like such a _monster_, I wouldn't feel so ashamed at the very idea of liking you! Maybe if you would show a little more compassion-"

"I show compassion for you!" he roared. It echoed in the dark, like a lover's last stand. And suddenly the very air about him changed. His eyes pinched together as they bore into hers until it was too much for Caroline to bear. There was too much emotion there, so much passion. She feared she'd suffocate on it were she to lift her eyes to his gaze again.

Minutes passed. An awkwardness gathered around the pair. Klaus shifted uncomfortably. Caroline found herself looking everywhere else but at him. She worried her lip. He shoved his hands in his jean's pockets.

"I shouldn't have said that," she said, the corners of her lips raising slightly in a sad smile, "I just... I can't even begin to process all of this. I don't even know if I really like you like you. For me to even think there could be a chance, you would have to change so much. I can't... I _won't_ fall in love with a monster."

"So says the vampire," he stated cheekily, a bit of the old him, the him from before this unbelievably confusing confrontation began. "Perhaps," he continued, smirk slowly rising, "we could try our hand at being friends."

He amazed her. One minute he was in a rage and the next he was trying to entice her again. She considered saying no, but she was too vulnerable. She could not deny the only being she had had an entirely honest interaction with in recent memory the opportunity to slip back into her good graces. Mulling over it, she thought there had to be some stipulations.

"No killing," Caroline's voice was hard as she said it, arms crossed sternly in front of her.

"I promise it'll only be the ones that _really _deserve it, love." She set her jaw and glared at him. At her raised eyebrow, he added, "And, of course, none of your loved ones." His oh so charming self was back. It would be a lie to say she did not swoon a little inwardly at the way his tone changed and head cocked to one side. Pursing her lips, Caroline decided it was good enough. She stuck her right hand out.

Klaus laughed outright at her antics. Taking her hand in his, they shook on it. The gesture lingered for a little longer than it should have, and as soon as Caroline regained control of her hand she decided her outing was over. Gathering the comforter in her arms, she slipped her shoes back on and hopped off the boulder. Klaus followed.

"So what exactly do hybrid and vampire friends do for fun these days?" Klaus asked, a bounce in his step as he moved to take the bulky material out from Caroline's grasp. She let him take it and mused over his question. What exactly did a friendship between the two of them mean? And how would Elena and the others react to all of this?

"I don't know. It's a bit of a first for me," she replied. Somehow the image of the two of them shopping at the mall seemed unnervingly foreign. Her face screwed up in thought as they continued walking.

"I love that look on you," Klaus commented off handedly, making Caroline stop.

"What look? I don't have a look."

"Yes you do. You sort of bunch your face up and push your lips to one side. Don't worry, it's entirely adorable."

"Klaus!" she stomped her foot at his remark. They could not be talking like this! What happened to the friends thing they discussed not five minutes ago?

"What?" he stuffed the blanket under his arm as he raised his hands up to plead innocence, "Friends can't give each other compliments?"

"You know what you did," she squinted at him as if to prove a point and turned on her heels. She could practically feel the smirk radiating from him.

"I think I'm going to quite like being your friend, Caroline." She rolled her eyes at his haughty tone and bit back a retort. 

**A/N: I took a painfully long break from writing. It's been years since I've added anything new, but this Klaus/Caroline thing has inspired me. Let me know if I should continue! Reviews are very much appreciated! :)**


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